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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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A Belfast mother has urged the UK and Irish governments to intervene to bring her son home from Lebanon.
Catherine Flanagan, 39, took her son David to visit his father in Lebanon, where he is from and works, in August 2022 when he was just ten-months-old.
But she said she was not able to bring him home to Northern Ireland as they had planned.
Last summer, the High Court in Belfast ruled that David should be returned to Northern Ireland by August 18, 2023. However, that did not happen.
In January, Ms Flanagan said she travelled to Lebanon to get her son but was not able to bring him home.
She said she now feels she has no option but to make a public plea for the UK and Irish governments to intervene to bring David home.
She said that she and David, who is now around two-and-a-half years old, both have British and Irish passports.
“It’s outrageous. I have done everything I can legally and with him (David’s father) in general, not to up the ante and not get into a slanging match, I just want my son returned,” she said.
“The situation has made me very, very sad, it didn’t need to be like this.
“I haven’t been able to spend time alone with David since he was ten-months-old.
“I am appealing to help. I have nothing left but to speak out in the media and plea and beg and ask the governments for help.
“There is no way a government can allow a situation where a court order says that David is to be here in Northern Ireland but I don’t even know where he is.
“This is not on, David deserves to have both his parents and no way can this be allowed to carry on.
“This is the absolute last option, speaking to media. No-one in their sane mind wants to do this.”
In a statement, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland is aware of this case and are liaising with The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Lebanese authorities.”
A FCDO spokesperson said: “We provided consular assistance to a British woman who was in Lebanon and were in contact with the local authorities.”
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has also been contacted for a response.
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